Nigel Farage to Resign as Clacton MP and Stand in Triggered By-Election

Nigel Farage announced July 7 that he will resign as Member of Parliament for Clacton, triggering a by-election in which he intends to stand as a candidate. Farage described the contest as a "people versus the establishment by-election" and said the people of Clacton should judge his actions. He stated he has done nothing wrong and has not broken the law in any way.

The announcement comes while Farage faces investigation by Parliament's standards commissioner, which began in May, over his failure to declare a £5 million gift from cryptocurrency billionaire Christopher Harborne received before the 2024 election.

Farage said the gift funds security he requires and called the Sunday Times report on his finances wholly inaccurate. He alleged the standards investigation is being used as a political tool.

Farage won the Clacton seat in the 2024 general election with a majority of 8,405. He registered a £9,253 trip to Belgium in April 2024 and a £15,276 donation for a U.S. domestic flight in December 2024, both from George Cottrell.

Rupert Lowe said Farage should have declared the £5 million gift and accused him of weaponising a by-election to distract from that issue. Zack Polanski called Farage a grifter and said Reform are part of the establishment.